Vetrimaaran says theatrical box office not failing: ‘What’s plaguing the film industry is…’

Audiences not coming to theatres is a matter of concern for filmmakers across the country – the theatrical business has not been the most exciting in recent times. Tamil filmmaker Vetrimaaran, though, has a different take on this. Speaking at a filmmakers’ round-table conducted by The Hollywood Reporter India, the Viduthalai maker opined that theatrical box office has not failed.

Instead, he reckons that what’s plaguing most film industries is the inflation brought on by OTT platforms. During the pandemic, OTT platforms, desperate for fresh content, paid 100s of crores to get star films made, which, in turn, increased filmmaking budgets, actor remunerations, etc. But then, soon enough, platforms realized that it is not a sustainable model.

The problem now, says Vetri, is that while digital rights funds have dried up, filmmakers have gotten used to making bigger films and actors to bigger pay packets. The filmmaker cites the example of a recent Tamil film release called Vaazhai, by Mari Selvaraj, which had a decent theatrical run, despite featuring a cast of newbies, to prove his point about the theatrical box office not having failed.

Mari Selvaraj, adds Vetri, is the biggest mainstream filmmaker, because he managed amazing numbers with a bunch of newcomers. The key for filmmakers, therefore, is to realign themselves to tell stories within recoverable budgets. “The democracy of telling our stories the way we want is in directly addressing the audience and not the OTT platforms,” he says, for which salaries, of cast and crew has to reduce massively, so that films can be made on more manageable budgets. “This will usher in the revival of the theatrical business,” he reasons.

Vetri further explains that his ideology applies to Tier 2 and 3 heroes and filmmakers, who draw lesser audiences than star-led films.